Archive for September, 2012

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire After Metal Masters 4 in New York, Phil Anselmo was back in the ‘Big Apple’ for an ass-kicking show with Down at the Best Buy Theater Friday night (Sept. 28). Support for the standout show included Saint Vitus, haarp and Warbeast . As the crowd started multiple “Down” chants, the band graced the stage and kicked off their performance with ‘Eyes South.’ They also went on to play a few new tracks from their latest disc ‘ Down IV Part I – The Purple EP ’ such as their single ‘Witchtripper,’ ‘Misfortune Teller’ and ‘Open Coffins.’ The crowd unleashed as they performed fan favorites like ‘Temptation’s Wings,’ ‘Lifer,’ ‘Ghosts Along the Mississippi,’ ‘Stone the Crow,’ and ‘Bury Me in Smoke’ among numerous others. Frontman Phil Anselmo exuded passion and vigor onstage as he looked fans eye-to-eye, transfixing their attention every step of the way. The force of the band onstage is a powerful one with the hard-hitting riffs of Pepper Keenan and Kirk Weinstein along with the deep bass lines of Pat Bruders and the thunderous percussion of Jimmy Bower behind the skins. Not to mention the chemistry between all of the members of Down onstage is infectious to say the least. Another band who was welcomed warmly by the East Coast crowd was Saint Vitus, who gave one hell of a performance as fans opened up a mosh pit and shook the foundation of the Best Buy Theater. To see metal legends like Saint Vitus onstage was quite a treat and watching lead guitarist Dave Chandler shred it up with his teeth was the cherry on top. Warbeast and haarp, who are part of Anselmo’s label Housecore Records, kicked off the night of metal goodness. To find out where you can catch Down and their tour mates, visit here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/down-witchtripper-video/” title=”Next: Watch Down’s ‘Witchtripper’ Video” align=”center”] Down: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Saint Vitus: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire

Kevin Winter, Getty Images Slayer have sparingly worked on new music this year, focusing mostly on their touring with the Mayhem Festival, but according to singer Tom Araya, the group is working hard to make sure their twelfth studio album arrives next year. Araya tells Seven Sisters Post , “We are working on a new album, aiming for a 2013 release. We are experimenting with a lot of sounds. What we can tell you is that the new album will be very Slayer.” The vocalist says that even though they are now elder statesmen in the world of metal, it hasn’t mellowed them out any. He adds, “We have maintained our signature intensity, which is the heavy and fast. Age, huh? Slayer has lived up to its signature intense music and crazy lyrics for the last 30 years with every new album that we come out with.” Over the summer, guitarist Kerry King had stated that while it was still early in the process, the fact that fellow guitarist Jeff Hanneman was still recovering from the flesh-eating spider bite had no role in their progression. The guitarist stated that they had secured engineer Greg Fidelman for a 12-day window that yielded two new songs, with several other tracks in various forms of completion, but that it was his hope that the band would block out some time in October to fully attack the record. At present, there are four late October shows in India and Japan, and then nothing on their tour schedule until the Soundwave Festival in February 2013. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/slayer-disciple-top-21st-century-metal-songs/” title=”Next: Slayer: Top 21st Century Metal Songs” align=”center”]

Cindy Ord, Getty Images It’s never a surprise to see Andrew W.K . popping up in the most unexpected places with his ‘Party Hard’ mentality and endless source of party tips for friends and fans. However, his latest public appearance at the ‘My Little Pony’ convention was certainly a unique one. Each year the fans and followers of ‘My Little Pony’ gather for their annual ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’ Convention, and this year, Andrew W.K. served on a panel at the convention in Strongsville, Ohio. Andrew W.K. is never short on inspiring words and his message for the fans was one of individuality and joy, saying, “The amount of joy being conjured up in this room … it will spread through the whole universe. You should feel proud of that; that’s a real achievement.” He also commented on the inclusive nature of the event and the overall acceptance he felt right away. “It’s a humbling experience … to be a part of something, even if it’s like a neighborhood,” said Andrew W.K. “It doesn’t mean you’re giving up a part of yourself. We choose to get together and celebrate our uniqueness.” The ‘My Little Pony’ franchise began in the early ‘80s with the line of pony doll figurines geared towards young girls and has carried on with cartoons and animated features including the latest televised series ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.’ Strangely enough, according to Rolling Stone , a subculture of older teen men and adults who watch the show referred to as ‘bronies’ made up the majority of the attendees in Andrew W.K.’s panel. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/andrew-w-k-party-hard-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”Next: Andrew W.K.: Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”]

Jim Dyson, Getty Images There’s been a loss in the Kiss family, as singer Paul Stanley is mourning the death of his mother, Eva Eisen. Eisen passed away Saturday (Sept. 29) at the age of 88. The official cause of death was not given. The vocalist has not only credited his mother with his love of music, but stated that she has always been there to support him through his musical endeavors, often turning up at Kiss shows. Kiss had recently come off the road, finishing “ The Tour ” with Motley Crue that was one of the highlights of the summer concert season. The band’s new album, ‘ Monster ,’ arrives Oct. 9. Stanley made a public statement about his loss at the Kiss website . It read: My mother found so much pleasure and fulfillment in all the various types of music that she loved so. It was through her that I, too, found that same passion. She lived long enough to see, enjoy and love an extended family that included her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She found numerous ways to contribute to her community and was appreciated and loved by those who knew her. My mom was the matriarch of our family and words cannot express our loss. His bandmates also chimed in with their thoughts and condolences in a brief posting. It read: From the earliest days of Kiss until recently, Eva was always seen by fans at New York-area shows. We send our deepest sympathies to Paul and his family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Loudwire wishes to send our condolences to Paul Stanley and his family on their loss. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/beyond-the-bridge-guitarist-keyboardist-simon-oberender-passes-away/” title=”Next: See Other Rockers We’ve Lost in 2012″ align=”center”]

Michael Lavine The Cult returned earlier this year with their latest disc ‘Choice of Weapon’ and now the rockers are offering up an insider’s look into the writing and recording process for the album with a new digital release titled ‘Weapon of Choice.’ ‘Weapon of Choice’ is designed to act as a prequel, offering fans an intimate and unique approach to their latest collection of songs from the beginning stages and throughout their development. Lead singer Ian Astbury weighed in on the new creative effort, explaining, “These songs were turned over and over, forged in long rehearsals and writing sessions and emanated from challenges both personal and professional.” Astbury also compared ‘Weapon of Choice’ to ‘Choice of Weapon,’ saying, “In many ways it’s a different album to the one we released and reveals the foundations of ‘Choice of Weapon.’ We were able to close the doors and begin to explore spaces we had not been in for a while.” ‘Weapon of Choice’ will only be available for a two month period on iTunes beginning on Oct. 16. Fans can visit the new website created for the disc and download the free track ‘Twisted and Bleeding.’ The song can also be heard below. ‘Weapon of Choice’ Track Listing: ‘Aurora’ ‘Blackie’ ‘The Bones’ ‘Decado’ ‘Elemental’ ‘Gibraltar’ ‘Twisted and Bleeding’ ‘Militant’ ‘Supreme’ ‘Lucifer’ Listen to ‘Twisted and Bleeding’ From ‘Weapon of Choice’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/the-cult-billy-duffy-talks-choice-of-weapon-touring-around-the-world-more/” title=”Read Our Interview With The Cult’s Billy Duffy” align=”center”]

Frank Micelotta / Theo Wargo, Getty Images “ It’s better to burn out than to fade away ” may be one of Neil Young ‘s most quotable lyrics, but the singer says that he’s still haunted by the fact that the ‘Hey Hey, My My’ quip resonated so much with Kurt Cobain that the late Nirvana singer quoted it in his suicide note. Young says in his ‘Waging Heavy Peace’ book, “When he died and left that note, it struck a deep chord inside of me. It f—ed with me.” Young, who many had nicknamed the “Godfather of Grunge” not only for his look but his songs, said he had tried to reach out to the vocalist prior to his death in order to talk to him about his issues. The singer says, “I wanted to talk to him. Tell him only to play when he felt like it.” The fact that they never got to speak affected Young, but hearing his lyric quoted back in the note took his regret to a whole new level. Young channeled his feelings into the ‘Sleeps With Angels’ title track in 1994. Young, who had his own issues with drink and drugs, revealed earlier this month that he had given up alcohol and smoking marijuana. It’s been a productive year for the singer, who issued the ‘Americana’ album earlier this year, has the ‘ Psychedelic Pill ‘ disc arriving at the end of October, and also has the ‘Waging Heavy Peace’ autobiography on the horizon. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-grunge-bands/” title=”Next: Top 10 Grunge Bands” align=”center”]

CBS While viewers have yet to see even see the first episode of the new season of ‘The Amazing Race,’ rockers James LoMenzo and Mark ‘Abba’ Abbattista have completed their journey and now get to reflect on it with the rest of America. LoMenzo, a veteran of Megadeth , Black Label Society , and White Lion who is now a member of Hail!, and his partner on the race and Hail! cohort Abbattista are flying the metal flag on this year’s edition and they told TheGauntlet.com how their time on the road actually benefitted them. LoMenzo says, “The weird thing is Mark and I have traveled all over the world with our band Hail! To me, this is in so many ways, even though we have much more going on, much more enjoyable. For one thing, I didn’t have to carry a guitar on my back getting on airplanes. All we had to carry places was a really light backpack. It was just so much fun having to do nothing but compete everyday.” Abbattista added, “Only having one person yelling at me instead of the whole band was great!” LoMenzo admitted there were a few times during the race where their familiarity to metal fans aided their journey, though not as much as they initially thought might happen. “Things are just so frantic and we never really stayed in one place for very long,” explains LoMenzo. “There were some times it came to our advantage. I don’t know if we’ll see it on the show, but it definitely happened.” Though they could not reveal their fate, the bandmates were one of 11 teams competing for a $2 million dollar prize. By the time the season ends, the winning team will have covered over 25,000 miles spanning three continents. The 21st season of ‘The Amazing Race’ begins tonight (Sept. 30) at 8PM ET/PT on CBS. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-megadeth-songs/” title=”Next: Top 10 Megadeth Songs” align=”center”]